Operation: Save an Island!
by The Manga Otaku
Summary: Raised in a very isolated and war ish environment, their foster father gives them a break by sending them to an island. There, they learn of the importance of valuing one's life. Rated T to be safe. :D AND THIS IS NOT A KEVINXANGELA FANFIC
1. Introduction

**I know it's bit confusing when you don't know the captain's name, and when captain Pascal appears, it's hard to tell who's who, but just to make things clear: the captain of their division never will appear again after they get on the ship!**

**I know this is the first time in MONTHS I've uploaded anything, but sadly, the latest chapter for my other story, 'Orange Plus Blue Equals?' is still in... an un-upload-able condition. It might be that way for a few more months. I might even rewrite it, if I am inspired. So it's like frozen right now. Sad, huh? Most likely the only reason why you're reading this is because you were hoping this was an update of that story. Anyways, I am very inspired to write this one, so hopefully I'll continue for at least until I get to complete this one. -.-**

***I find this story's plot a lot more interesting than 'Orange Plus Blue Equals?'. Seriously! And a slight note. I was planning on uploading this AFTER I completed Orange, but right now, I think it is in no condition to upload. I SERIOUSLY need to fix all the chapters. Sorry. I am a stupid perfectionist who isn't perfect D:**

***Please stick with the boring beginning and wait for like a day for the next chapter D: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEE **

***Oh and this is one of the stories that are pretty much review-driven. Don't get it? Don't worry. I don't know what I am saying either. ANYWAYS. (using example) For example... Molly's the main character in one chapter. And there are three other guys that have a main role in that particular 'story.' (Not every chapter has three guys/girls to choose from, btw!) Those three people are the three bachelors/bachelorettes that have potential to end up with the main character in the chapter (in this case it's Molly). The one who gets the most votes ends up with the main character! Not in that chapter only, however, but in all the chapters about the main character (hinting here that there are going to be more than 5 chapters). But please, honorable reader, don't choose the one YOU like, but the one you think would be most suitable for the main character. I mean, IT'S THE MAIN CHARACTER'S LOVE WE'RE BETTING ON HERE! x.x The main characters are very clear in every chapter except for this one, which doesn't count because it's an intro, but that shouldn't keep you from reviewing! Reviews inspire me MORE. I'll write faster, you know? Even with just one review :D **

**I am done with my spam. I GOT AN IDEA. From now on, I'll * important things that you should read and everything else here in this author-only corner, you decide (because you could be doing better things than reading my annoying spam). **

**Okay, I think I just *ed everything, but... they are all important D: Okay, it's not that helpful anymore -.-  
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* * *

><p>"What is the lowest set of letters you can see?" The optometrist asked in a monotone. Apparently he had been doing this all day with almost all of the members of this division.<p>

There was a high-pitched giggle. "A Z B Y C X." Hidden in the darkness, a smile appeared on the optometrist's frowning face as he wrote 'pass' next to her name.

He stood up. "You are finished," he said with his deep, criminal-like voice.

As the girl skipped out of the room, she flashed him her usual grin. "Bye, doc! And give me a more challenging test next time. That bottom line was glowing orange. It was sooooo easy to see!" she saluted before she slammed the door closed.

"Molly, close the door a little lighter, will you? Now look there's a crack…"

**…**

"Captain," the optometrist barked.

A mop of blonde hair shot up from under the desk that was labeled, 'Captain.' "Oh, you're here, Sogetsu! Guess what, I discovered-"

"Cut the useless talk, captain," Dr. Sogetsu snapped. "I wasted a whole day testing all the members in your division and only four passed. I wasted my time." He slammed down the eye exam results on the messy desk and spun around to leave.

"…I was right, wasn't I, Sogetsu?" the captain grinned, almost creepily.

The optometrist frowned. "That's why I am mad. You knew your prediction was going to be correct, why request an eye examination and waste my time?" he scowled and slammed the door shut.

"Aye, his temper is still the same," the captain laughed after Sogetsu's footsteps became faint. After digging the telephone out of a mountain of papers, he held the red button and said, "Lieutenant Brown, do you copy?"

He let go of the button and a moment later, a there was a reply. "Lieutenant Brian Brown, what can I do for you, Captain, over."

"Get the A-Squad to my office immediately."

**Operation: Save an Island!**

**Chapter 1: And the Vacation Begins!**

"A-Squad, reporting!" The older girl barked, saluting. The three other members also saluted sharply.

The captain of their division stood up from his desk and took off his glasses. "Angelaaaaa~" he yelled lovingly and jumped at the girl. Angela gave him a disgusted look and took a step to the left.

"So captain," she said mercilessly to the form on the ground crying something about being abandoned by his daughter. "What did you call us here for? What mission is it this time?"

"Infiltrate the Afghanistan ranks and disable their cannons?" A short girl with chestnut-brown hair piped up. The captain shook his head. "Deep-sea diving to capture a rare jellyfish?" He shook his head again. "Hmm… I know! World domination!"

The older boy slapped the back of her head lightly. "Molly, don't make such jokes up."

Molly rubbed the back of her head and grinned at the boy. "Teehee."

"Well, Molly," the captain said, now that he recovered and calmly sat at his desk with his arms crossed. "You were close." He stood on his swivelly chair with one foot on his desk for the dramatic effect. He stretched out his hand as far as possible and pointed at the squad leader. "Your next mission is to save an island. Operation: Save an Island, COMMENCED!" he yelled.

Angela slapped away the finger that was mainly directed at her, as she was the leader of the squad. She turned away to leave, only to be stopped by the captain's panicked protest, "You have to at least know the details like when and where!"

Out of nowhere, glasses appeared on the bridge of Angela's nose and she pushed it up with her middle finger. There was a glint of light that bounced off the lens. "Unfortunately, Kevin already stole that information from your computer," she stated.

The captain whipped around to see the small boy by his laptop holding a USB. He smiled nervously. "Sorry, Dad- I mean Captain. Angela insisted."

The captain sniffed. "Kevin…"

"The faster we get this mission done, the faster Molly and I can get the new edition of Call of Duty!" The older boy said, flashing the captain with a toothy grin.

"Kasey…"

"We'll see you soon, Captain," Angela said (her glasses disappeared as fast as they appeared). And the door closed.

As the four walked away from the Captain's office, they heard a muffled, "MOLLY! KEVIN! KASEY! WHYYY YOU BETRAYED MEE!"

The Captain sat back down on his seat and rested his head on his hands. "They got much more experienced after those three months of training. I was right to give them a little vacation." He opened a drawer and pulled up a painting of the Harvest Goddess. "I hope they save the island slowly. Maybe interact with the villagers. They never really had friends… Lieutenant, you sent them the package, right?" He said to the telephone.

"Yes sir."

**…**

"There's no way I am wearing that," Angela declared. She pushed the brown box under the bed of the cabin.

"Aww, Angie-Angie, but it's so cute! See, I am wearing mine," Molly said while tugging on the ends of her skirt. **(A/N: now, they are wearing their default outfits in Harvest Moon Animal Parade :D)** "I never thought there would be a day Dad- I mean Captain would let me wear a MINI skirt!"

"Yeah, Angela," Kasey added. "And your jean-shorts aren't even that long."

Angela flashed him a glare. Like everyone else, Angela treated Molly nicer than everyone else. Kasey backed away with his hands in the air. Maybe another reason is because she's a little sexist, and she probably has a grudge on Kasey.

"Unguuhlah… (Angela…)" Kevin mumbled through the pillow.

"Kevin, get your face out of the pillow so we can hear you," Kasey said, sitting down on the wooden floor.

Kevin groaned and turned his head to side. His eyes were shut tightly. "Angela… Wearing… a black… military… uniform will cause suspicions. Changing into… the outfit Captain gave you… would make you… blend in with the rest of the… villagers… ugh." And he dropped his head back onto the pillow.

"Kevin's right, Ang," Kasey said, feeling a little brave. "People will notice you a mile away."

"You're tall already and you wear such tall high heels…" Molly pouted.

Angela sighed sourly and walked out the room. Without the box. "Does that mean our negotiation failed?" Molly whispered.

Before Kasey could whisper back, they heard Angela's demanding voice from the next room. "Captain Pascal, how far is our destination? Would it quicken the arrival if some of us use oars to row?" The door of the room burst open and Angela demanded, "Kasey. Molly. Get out there and row! Kevin needs to get on land. Fast!" She death-glared the two of them (especially Kasey) and Kasey immediately scrambled out the door. "Molly," Angela warned. "Kevin's sea-sickness isn't going to fix itself."

Molly stayed at where she was and pouted.

"Get out, I need to change."

"What about Kevin? This is the only cabin we have. You can't possibly haul him out."

Angela scoffed. "What are you talking about?" she asked as she was unbuttoning her shirt, making sure she was facing the wall. "We are siblings."

Molly sighed and closed the door. She dejectedly turned around to run right into Kasey's chest. "She brings up that excuse again," Molly said.

"Haha, I guess Ang didn't consider the two of us as siblings…" Kasey said sadly.

"But… we were always together… ever since we were picked up by Dad- I mean Captain."

Kasey patted his little sister's head. "You don't have to call him Captain around me, Molly. He's technically our dad anyways…"

**…**

**Spring 1st, Year 1**

**Town Hall **

**12:00 PM  
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"We are the new residents," Angela declared to a platinum-haired boy. Sadly, he was about an inch shorter than her. Even without her heels.

"I see," he replied, refusing to look up at her. He lifted a key (most likely to their new house) from his breast pocket and handed it to her without looking up from the clipboard he was holding. He then walked behind his father's desk and sat down.

Angela scowled and mumbled 'rude fellow' under her breath. Before she turned her heel to leave, Molly pulled on her sleeve. "Don't we have to ask him about the Harvest Goddess?" she whispered in her ear.

Angela's eyes widened. That was the main reason they came here: to save the Harvest Goddess, and save this island! The file Kevin stole from the Captain's computer only had the tickets to this island, Castanet, and a note that said: Good luck blending in, you awesome A-ranked spy daughters and sons. "He knew we were going to steal his information," she whispered to herself. She crossed her arms and stomped back to the desk. She coughed. "Excuse me."

"What?" the boy answered without looking up.

She lowered herself so she was at his eye-level. "Do you know of a deity named 'Harvest Goddess'?" she asked carefully and slowly.

The boy removed his nose from the documents for the first time at the mention of the deity. Angela sighed and said, "You actually have nice blue eyes once you are able to _see_ them," while pulling out a chair in front of him. The others followed her example and sat in a line in front of the mayor's desk. "My name is Angela."

The boy seemed a little shocked at the sudden introduction. He nodded immediately and said, "I am Gill."

"Molly~"

"I am Kasey."

"My name is Kevin…"

"Now that we are done with introductions," Angela said, jumping to the point. "We would like to request information about the Harvest Goddess."

Gill's eyes widened. "_You_ guys are the most talented A-Squad, the most deadly group of secret agents?"

"Gosh, the way you say it makes it seem like we are amateurs," Molly murmured.

"We get that a lot, don't we?" Kasey laughed.

"Well, I would obviously think you weren't because half of you don't even look over 21…" Gill said.

"Hey! I am 21 years old, thank you very much," Molly scoffed. "Kasey is 25 and Angela is-" She got a death glare from Angela and quickly closed her mouth.

"Anyways," Gill said. "Before, the Harvest Goddess's power had kept the island living. However, the Harvest Goddess Tree's power has been declining."

"You want us to restore the power of the Harvest Tree?" Kevin asked.

"Correct. The only way to restore it is to ring five of the bells and call the Harvest King," Gill explained.

"So the way to save this island is to ring five bells and meet another god?" Molly asked excitedly. Gill nodded. "Yay! This is such an easy mission. We can go home back really soon to play Call of Duty, huh, Kasey?"

"I suppose."


	2. Daisy

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARVEST MOON :D Forgot to mention in the last chapter.**

**I know the date thingys are pointless and wastes space, but I think it makes the scene more clear and how much time passes when I skip around.**

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><p><em>"Since it's such an easy mission, I challenge you guys!" Molly excitedly said while pointing at her team members. "The last person to ring a bell has to treat everyone else to 20 meals!"<em>

**…**

**Spring 1****st****, Year 1**

**Garmon Mine Distict**

**4:30 PM**

"With that said, I am definitely going to win!" Molly declared as she wandered around by herself in the Garmon Mine District.

In the distance, she saw a cute little girl running towards a red object and kicked it into a chimney. "Chloe, you're so good," Bo said.

Molly didn't notice, but there was a small voice shouting, "THE RED BELL! THEY KICKED THE RED BELL!"

"Score!" Chloe, the little girl yelled and fist pumped.

"Yeah, I was sure I was going to kick it this time," Owen said.

"But now, my new toy I found in the mine is stuck in Grandpa's chimney…" Chloe sighed sadly.

"Don't worry, little girl!" a voice cried. The trio looked up to see a figure on the carpenter's rooftop. "In the name of love and justice, I shall retrieve your toy for you!" Molly dashed to the edge of the roof and jumped. She did three flips in the air before landing safely on the ground. "Ta-daa!"

"Ooooh!" Chloe clapped her hands in excitement.

Bo sweat-dropped. "You're the new resident, right?"

Molly gleamed. "Mhm! My name is Molly!"

"Owen."

"My name is Bo."

"I'm Chloe, ranger of love and justice!" Chloe exclaimed with eyes brimming with excitement. "Let go see Grandpa to find out how to get my new toy out!"

**…**

"What did he say?" Owen asked when the two of them exited Ramsey's.

"We have to get one of all the ores to send a puff of smoke up the chimney to get it out…" Chloe said sadly.

"Including the rare ore?" Bo asked. Chloe nodded sadly. "But it's rare and extremely hard to find!"

"We'll find it in the name of love and justice," Molly said seriously with a very serious expression on her face.

There was a silence.

"You're so heroic, ranger of love and justice!" Chloe exclaimed.

'_She's not convincing at all_,' both Bo and Owen thought.

"And we're off!" Molly yelled and she charged in some direction.

Bo and Owen watched the two of them running like mad men towards the direction of Molly's farm. "Isn't that the opposite way from the mine?" Bo asked.

"Yup."

"I'm worried."

"Yup."

"Shouldn't we go with them?"

"I have work, though," Owen said.

"Isn't baby-sitting your cousin (now adding an extra) one of your jobs?" Bo asked.

Owen sighed. "Sadly, yes. You just had to remind me, Bo."

"Sorry."

**…**

"So this is what the mine looks like," Molly said, looking everywhere. "It's so big! And cool!"

"You are correct, ranger of love and justice," Chloe said as-a-matter-of-factually. "The mine is a very mysterious place. Secretly, I've sneaked in here many times and I already obtained ten iron, seven copper, five silver, and one gold ore stocked under my bed to my dispense. Even Grandpa doesn't know! Now, ranger of love and justice, I hope you will keep this secret."

"I will," Molly said seriously.

"Don't forget that we're here as well…" Bo said.

"So you sneak into the mines," Owen stated angrily.

"Doesn't matter. Anyways, all we need to find is the super-rare rare ore deep, deep, deep, DEEP in the mine!" Chloe said.

"To descend down the mine, you have to find staircases that look like that one," Owen added, pointing to a square in the ground with stairs in them. "So Molly, I wish you luck and the three of us," he grabbed Chloe so she wouldn't escape. "Will be waiting for you up here."

"Nooooo!" Chloe screamed, kicking her legs up high in the air. "I want to go too!"

"I do my best!" Molly said and gave Owen a salute.

"And a reminder!" Owen shouted down into the mine. "Rare ores are a blue-ish color.

"Alright!" Molly yelled from the first floor of the mine. Then almost immediately the crumbling of rocks were heard. "EEEEAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Ranger of love and justice!" Chloe screamed in panic.

"She didn't fall in a pitfall, right?" Bo asked nervously. "That really sounded like one."

"Shouldn't be," Owen laughed while sweating. "There are never pitfalls on the first floor. See, look. MOLLY!" Owen yelled down into the mine. "CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

"Yeah!" A faint voice yelled back. "I can hear you! Anyway, I think I am on floor five, and I think I found a rare ore! How do I get back up?"

Bo and Owen exchanged glances. "Five floors is 'deep, deep, DEEP,' Chloe?" Owen asked the little girl in his arms.

"It is usually found below floor forty!" Chloe whined. "You should know, Owen!"

"Is she on floor five or forty?" Bo asked, looking down into the hole.

"It's too dark; you can't see," Owen said. "Even if she's only on floor five. She shouldn't be on forty. She can't survive the fall."

"Then how did she get a rare ore?" Bo asked.

Owen shrugged. "That's the mysterious part."

"Heeeeeeyy!" Molly's faint voice called. "Are you going to tell me how to get up or what?"

Owen and Bo exchanged glances. "First find a staircase…" Owen began as he spread out a map he made of the mines.

**Operation: Save an Island!**

**Chapter 2: Daisy  
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**Spring 2****nd****, Year 1**

**Garmon Mine District**

**6:00 PM**

"HIII BO~" Molly sang as she bear-hugged him from behind. He almost dropped his axe. They were about the same height, Bo being a few centimeters taller.

"Hi Molly," he sighed. "I am kind of busy right now…"

"What'cha doing?"

"Work."

"What kind of work?"

"As you can see, I am cutting down this rotting tree to plant a new one-" He turned around to see Molly's face really close to his.

"I see…" Molly grinned. "Can~ I~ help~?"

Bo blushed and shook his head. "It's too dangerous for a girl- what are you doing?"

"Holding an axe."

"No need to state the obvious- where did you find it?"

"This?" Molly asked, holding up an old-looking axe (she looked like she was about to kill someone with that smile of her's). "I found it near the doorway of your shop."

"You mean Boss's shop," Bo corrected.

"Your Boss's shop."

"Are you going to use that axe to cut down this tree?" Bo asked. The axe was awfully familiar to him and yet he just couldn't recall at that moment.

"Duh."

"Molly… it's not as easy as it looks…" Bo tried to say. '_And that axe looks awfully familiar_…'

"It looks like you only have to swing it to cut it down."

"Yeah, but the axe is pretty heavy, and you just fell down four floors yesterday in the mine… shouldn't you be in bed, recovering?"

"Nopee. I am used to it already! This is nothing!" Molly saluted and held the axe very tightly.

"If you say so…" Bo mumbled and turned around to get a drink of water until a splitting sound rang through the air.

Bo whipped his head around with alertness.

There stood Molly with the axe on her shoulder, with leaves floating down onto the ground around her in a godly way, looking very accomplished. 'For a touch of professionalish-ness,' she wiped a bead of sweat (that wasn't there) on her forehead. "In one swing, Bo! So~~? What'dya think?" She gave him the 'peace' sign.

Molly's smile was so bright, and the aura around her beat the radiance of the Harvest Goddess herself (and probably more beautiful too), but Bo noticed that the huge, fallen tree had crushed the fence on the left side of their shop. It also blocked the entrance to the sacred goddess pond. Bo paid no attention to Molly and placed both hands on his cheeks and made a face full of horror. He fell to his knees. "What were you doing, Molly?" Bo whispered.

"What are _you_ doing, Bo?" a very familiar voice asked.

"You were supposed to-" He lifted his head and gasped. "Luke!" Then he remembered. The axe! That was Luke's axe! He quickly turned to Molly, who still had the axe placed on her shoulder. Now, she was standing with one foot on the trunk, laughing triumphantly.

"Hey, isn't that my axe?" Luke asked. He walked over to Molly and almost looked… angry. Bo gulped.

"Hi, so you're Luke? I'm Molly!" she grinned and reached her hand out.

"That's my axe you have there…"

"This?" Molly carefully returned the axe to its owner. Bo gulped and started to sweat. '_Is there going to be a murder soon_?' Bo thought, looking around frantically for Owen. He remembered the time when he tripped over Luke's axe and received a beating from Luke (Owen saved him). Unfortunately, Owen was nowhere to be seen. "Anyways, Luke, I cut down this tree here with your axe! In one swing!"

Luke grinned to Bo's surprise. "That's _extreme_! Lucy," Luke said to his axe. "Papa is proud."

Molly laughed.

Bo fell back on the ground, tired for worrying and afraid. "Phew…"

The door of the Carpentry slammed open. "What was that noise?" Dale exclaimed. No one needed to answer because he immediately saw the tree destroying his fence and blocking the way to the Harvest Spring. He glared at Luke. "You… what have you done?"

"Me?" Luke asked innocently. "It's Lucy!" He held up his old axe proudly. "Tell Pops that you over killed it in one swing, Luce! Tell Pops that Papa is so proud!"

Molly nodded vigorously, hoping Dale would be proud of Luke and Lucy.

Bo face palmed. '_These two idiots..._'

**…**

**Spring 4****th****, Year 1**

**Garmon Mine District**

**8:00 AM**

"HIYA BO~"

Bo flinched before being tackled to the ground by Molly. She rubbed her cheek against Bo's. Bo turned pink and murmured, "… Done now?" Even though he was supposed to be used to this by now…

"Not yet, Bo!" Molly whined. "I reaaaaally missed you!"

"Aren't you guys intimate early in the morning," commented Owen from a 'safe distance.'

"OWEN!" She glomped him as well.

Owen laughed as he patted Molly's back. "I guess I wasn't far enough to escape. You're so damn fast, Molly."

"Teehee."

"So, what's up?" Owen asked as he pulled away. "Did Angela scold you for something again?"

"Yup… I only gathered three mushrooms yesterday and only had one leaf of lettuce for breakfast," Molly pouted.

"I am not sure if I can help you with that," Owen said while sweat-dropping. "You know the only one out of us here who can cook is Bo."

She turned to Bo, giving him the 'pitiful puppy' look.

"… How about I make breakfast for you before Luke wakes up?"

"Yay!"

**…**

"Since yesterday, the fire temperature finally became strong again," Owen said while spooning a piece of omelet.

"The fire was restored?" Bo asked, bewildered.

"I think so. Remember yesterday around 5, there was a pretty melody playing in the mines? I went down there to check-"

"I went too!" Molly yelled between bites of the omelet.

"Molly went too and the red bell was safely there on its frame."

"The Harvest Goddess's power was restored?" Bo wondered. "Anyways, we need to get rid of that tree blocking the path. If we make her mad, things might get nasty again. Molly, can you help too?"

"Ehh… I would, but I am supposed to collect a lot of mushrooms today…" Molly sighed.

"Angela's that mad?" Owen laughed.

"Mhm." '_I think she's just mad I rang a bell on the third day_,' Molly thought happily. '_Angela is soo going to pay for 20 of my dinners_!'

"You need mushrooms?" Bo asked. Molly nodded. "Would this be enough?" Bo opened the fridge and took out a sack almost as large as a Geometry textbook. He opened it and there were at least fifty mushrooms in there.

"YOU'RE MY SAVIOR, BO!" Molly screamed and bear-hugged him.

"S-s-since now you have time, y-you'll help clear the road, right?" Bo stuttered with his face crimson.

"Yup!"

Owen chuckled and got out of his seat. "I'll be going now. See you guys later." He pushed in his chair and winked at Bo before closing the door.

"What was he winking about?" Luke asked between bites of spinach cake.

"N-none of your business, Luke," Bo replied, covering his face. "And when did you get here?"

"LUKEE~"

There was a crash.

The front door burst open once again. "Luke! Stay away from my daughter!" Owen declared. "…And put on a shirt!"

The back door burst open. "Did a tree crash into the fence again?" Dale asked urgently. He looked down and saw Molly on Luke (without a shirt) in a very-suspicious-looking hug and blushed. "S-sorry. I disturbed the moment," and closed the door.

"What moment?" Luke and Molly asked innocently.

Bo facepalmed and said, "Get off of him first, Molly."

"Okay."

"Please go get dressed, Luke. I'll be waiting outside," Bo said and reached for the door.

"Where?" Luke asked, who was seated on the dining table (clearing not dressing) eating spinach cake.

Bo sighed. "Work. We're clearing the tree that your 'Lucy' K. the day before yesterday. People use that road, you know."

"'kay," Luke answered and waved bye.

"Don't forget to wash your dishes!" Bo reminded Luke before he closed the door of the carpenter's and sighed. '_And he'll leave them, making it my job later_,' Bo thought as he sadly stared at the casualties: almost half of the left fence, one-third of their wood- later used for material smashed into pieces, his squished Fugue mushroom he found… Bo sighed again. And he still had to repair the mine cart…

Someone hugged him very tightly, interrupting his thoughts. He blushed before pushing Molly away. "What?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Bo," she replied. She looked genuinely sad and sincere. "You don't have to give me the mushrooms since you like them so much."

Bo almost wanted to fall down. '_That's the reason why she thinks I am sad?_' Bo thought. He glanced at her face once more. '_I'll forgive you anyways…_' He smiled gently and patted Molly's head. Her hair was soft.

She smiled and hugged him again.

Owen had a very mischievous expression on his face. Only Bo noticed and sweat-dropped as he tried to pry her hands off of himself. Owen coughed. "Sorry to ruin your 'moment,' but I'll be heading off to work now. I wish you luck in clearing the road, you guys." He winked at Bo again, making Bo turn a little pink.

"Waiiit Owen!" A brown blob rushed to his side before he could get too far.

"Yes, Molly?" Owen asked.

She held up her arms with a pouting face. "Good-bye huggie."

Owen laughed and picked her up and spun her around. "WHEEEEE~"

"Dizzy yet?"

"Y-yeah…" Molly said, her eyes spinning.

"Now back to work, Molly," Owen said as he pushed her back to Bo. "Take care of her, Bo!" Bo nodded and handed Molly an axe.

As Owen walked away, he held his throbbing chest. '_What's wrong with me nowadays… I thought I liked Kathy…_'

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><p><strong>Just in case that in the future, the candidates (the ones that have potential to end up with the main character of a chapter) are unclear, I use this bottom to make it clear :D<strong>

**Candidates for Molly: **

**Bo**

**Luke**

**Owen**

**As an author, I give Bo a vote! :D I count... right? o.o**

**THIS IS NOT A FORESHADOW! Later on in the story (at the request of you honorable readers) a new candidate might be added for a particular main character. It depends on what ideas I have for that couple and... no strange couples like... Molly x White Cat OR Molly x 40-years-ago-Hamilton or something like that xD  
><strong>


	3. Hibiscus

**Sorry about the boring calculations and the siblings' financial crisis in the beginning… But it's very essential to Angela's meeting with –BEEP- Oops. I almost spoiled. By the way, that wasn't a curse. **

***This chapter is more serious than Molly's (maybe Angela's way of thinking is too mature for a humor-categorized fanfiction.) But that's her nature. And I promise she softens up a lot after living on the island. Well, Castanet isn't an island, but I don't know what else to call it. **

**And…I noticed there wasn't much romance in this chapter. I thought I'd make it more realistic with real-life conflicts about money… **

**ITS SO LONG T^T I tried to go back and shorten things, but all go were a few words removed. (That doesn't help) **

**Okay so the votes for last chapter:**

**Luke: 0.5 (Someone split their vote)**

**Owen: 0**

**Bo: 1.5 (And don't worry, Rachel. Cause I didn't vote!)**

**And speaking of votes, if you are like... embarrassed or you don't think I deserve a review or something, you can always pm me... But I prefer reviews because it encourages me :D**

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><p><strong>Spring 1<strong>**st****, Year 1**

**Farm**

**7:00 PM**

"Now that we all are here," Angela said as Molly walked into their new home. "Let's discuss our living conditions." She made sure to glare at the ceiling that had many holes and cracks all over it before continuing. "First, because we were in a hurry to catch the ship, we could only grab the luggage Lieutenant Brown **(A/N: Minor character in chapter 1)** had already packed for us. While you were off making new friends, Molly, I looked through our stuff and the only valuables we have are my wallet with about 20000G inside, Kevin's bottle of gold dust (worth about 500G), and Kasey's 'Assassin's Creed'."

"YOU ARE NOT SELLING THAT," Kasey yelled, grabbing his video game from Angela and held it protectively at his chest.

"…Moving on," Angela said. "At best, we will be able to last 3 days."

"What?" Molly exclaimed. "20 thousand G is a lot of G! How come we can only last for three days?"

"Because of electricity bills, dummy Molly," Kasey said, ruffling her hair.

"No," Angela said, giving him the 'are-you-stupid-or-what' look. "Only on food supplies."

"What?" Molly and Kasey exclaimed in unison. "How?"

"Because," Angela said, getting out a sheet of paper and pencil from no where. "We have 20000G. We have four people. 5000G for the each of us to spend just on food supplies. The cheapest food here costs about 500G with drinks. That makes 10 meals. How many meals are in a day?"

"Three…" they mumbled.

"That means we'll last a little up to 3 days if we don't start making profit. And we are going to cut our diet to two meals a day to save money."

"What?" Molly cried. Her stomach growled. "But I am starving!"

"Shut it," Angela demanded. "This must be survival training set up by Captain. Plus, this is a chance for you to finally go on a diet, Molly."

"I refuse!"

**9:00PM**

"…Done now?" Kevin asked from behind a book.

"Yeah…" Molly grumbled as she joined him on the dusty, worn-out couch.

"…So? What did Angela say?" Kevin asked calmly as he flipped a page.

"Because crop money isn't enough, blah blah blah, we will make extra money by scavenging things from the wild."

"That doesn't sound that bad," Kevin mused.

Molly groaned. "Even after that much screaming, we are still cutting to two meals a day."

"Haha, is that all you care about?" Kasey laughed, poking Molly's puffed cheeks.

"Duh. My tummy here is dying."

**…**

**Spring 4****th****, Year 1**

**Farm **

**6:00 AM**

Angela stared at the shipping bin profits from yesterday, her left eye twitching angrily. She hurled her fork at Molly.

"Kyaaa!" Molly screamed. The fork barely missed and shattered a piece of old wood on the wall.

"Che, off again," Angela muttered.

"What was that for?" Molly cried.

She didn't answer and took Molly's plate and dumped its contents in Kasey's plate.

"Ooh, extra today," he almost squealed.

"I can't eat breakfast?" She jumped out of her seat. "You already forbid me to eat dinner and now I can't eat breakfast?"

"It's not that I am forbidding you," Angela said while sitting back down. "It's because you only made 60G yesterday. It's a consequence for slacking off." She handed her a green herb and pushed her out the door.

"WAHHH!" **(A/N: If you didn't remember, Molly said she only had a leaf of cabbage for breakfast. But it was a green herb.) **Molly cried. "B-but I collected three mushrooms yesterday!"

"You mean toadstools."

"There's no difference!"

"There's a 60G difference!" And she slammed the door in Molly's face.

"Cheapo Angie!" Molly screamed as she stomped off.

Angela rolled her eyes at the door and rubbed her temples. "We are not going to survive if we only rely on scavenger hunting and those slow crops out there (And Molly). Any suggestions, Kevin?"

"Making honey seems like a fairly good way to start," Kevin answered. "The cheapest flower seeds are 20G, and the shining honey is worth 250G."

Angela's face lit up. "A 230G profit!"

Kasey and Kevin both sweat dropped as they watched Angela slam the door shut and made a mad dash towards the Flute Fields. 100 feet later, she collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.

"You should walk instead, Angela!" Kasey yelled from the window. "You'll get there faster!"

She glared at him before attempting to sprint; resulting another face-first fall to the ground.

"Told you."

Kevin sighed and put 'A bicycle or horse or ostrich for Angela' on his wish list as he watched her trudge at a snail's pace towards the Flute Fields.

**…**

**Flute Fields **

**11:00 AM**

Angela dragged her feet, loosing her strength in every stride. In the far far far distance, she saw Marimba Farm. "Ugh…" And she collapsed onto the ground and passed out.

'_What kind of play is this?_' Chase thought as he watched the lifeless-looking body there at his doorstep. He was attracted to the front window when he heard a soft _thump_ outside. He arched an eyebrow. '_Another one of Maya's tricks, I suppose_.' He returned to his kitchen. As he continued to work, he felt uncomfortable that there was a strange girl on his doorstep. Chase walked out of his house and poked her cheek with his spatula. He he watched her stir uncomfortably and dialed Marimba Farm. "There's an unconscious tourist at my doorstep."

"What?-" _Click._

**Operation: Save an Island!**

**Chapter 3: Hibiscus**

**...  
><strong>

**Chorale Clinic **

**5:00 PM**

"Is she okay?" A girl's voice inquired.

"Yes. She fainted of exhaustion and might be a little dehydrated. Other than that, she's perfectly healthy," a man's voice answered.

There was a sigh of relief.

"Anyways, thank you for calling us here and taking care of my sister," Kevin said in a small voice.

'_Fainted?_' Angela scoffed. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and rubbed her blurry eyes. '_I'm so weak_.'

"Ugh… that Chase, he didn't even bother to help her –Oh! You're awake!" the girl exclaimed, rushing to Angela. She was very pretty. She had long, smooth, brown hair, and very fair skin.

"Are you feeling okay? Would you like some tea?" she asked.

"No, I am fine, doctor," Angela replied politely, getting off of the bed.

"Doctor?" she asked. She chuckled a little. "I am Anissa. The real doctor is out at the moment."

"I see. My name is Angela," and she shook Anissa's hand.

Angela returned it Anissa's smile with on of her forced smiles she used back in the military.

Anissa opened her mouth to say something but hesitated. She glanced at Angela before continuing. "I did not receive the degree, but I think he might have wanted me to say this too; you should take better care of yourself, Angela. I do not think- perhaps Dr. Jin doesn't think it's unusual- for a clearly healthy person with no disease to collapse of exhaustion, even if you were extremely worn out, and recover four hours later like nothing happened-"

Angela took a step towards the Anissa, stopping her rant about health. Nervously, Anissa took a mini step backwards. The way Angela towered over here was quite intimidating, especially if she looked a little annoying.

One corner of her thin lips lifted to make a small (creepy) smile. "I am used to it," Angela stated. "This happens quite often. Back in-"

"If you'll excuse us, Miss Anissa," Kasey said, pushing Angela out of the clinic. "It's late, and we really have to get back. And besides, after loitering for the day, you still didn't buy the seeds."

Angela crossed her arms and huffed angrily. Kevin quickly followed his older siblings out the door.

"You almost exposed our secret!" he hissed once they were out of earshot.

"I know what I am doing," Angela whispered back.

"I suspect Anissa will be suspicious of us now," Kevin added.

"Wait!" Anissa exclaimed, following them outside. The sky was a beautiful orange, not that it mattered right now. The two boys flinched nervously and turned around.

"Yes?" Angela smiled, hiding her annoyance.

"If you are looking to buy seeds, the Marimba Farm in closed on Wednesdays," Anissa said.

Kevin let out a sigh of relief a little too early for comfort.

"I see. That's disappointing." Angela gave Anissa another forced smile as she 'playfully' pulled Kevin's cheek.

"However, I have some seeds on me," Anissa said, getting a small pouch out of her pocket.

"You're a life-saver!" Kasey exclaimed to calm the atmosphere a bit.

Anissa blushed. "It's nothing. I don't have much though."

"Three tulip seeds are fine," Angela said.

"That would be 60G."

Angela nodded and reached for her wallet. She held it upside-down and shook it. Finally, six 10G coins fell out.

"T-that's all you have?" she asked, staring at the pathetic-looking 10G coins.

"Why, yes," she replied normally (with another one of her fake smiles).

Anissa had a very pained expression on her face. "It must be hard for you." She pulled out five extra tulip seeds and three strawberry seeds. "Here, I hope this helps you even a bit," she said, placing them softly in Angela's palm. "If you need anything, feel free to drop by Marimba. My family will be happy to have you guys there."

Angela smiled again. "Thank you," she said. She bowed her head a little in thanks and walked away. '_Oh, free stuff. I didn't think the sad story trick would work_-'

-BAM- A door slammed open, hitting her in the face and it sent her crashing to the stone ground. She looked up at Kasey, who was snickering. Angela glared up at him. '_Gosh, karma. Why so harsh? _

"Angela, are you alright?" Kevin asked worriedly.

Maya, the one who opened the door, gasped. "I thought I hit something! Are you okay?" Angela nodded solemnly. "Okay!" she grinned optimistically. "Haiiiii strangers!" she waved. "My name is Maya, nice to meet'cha!" she held out her hand for Angela to shake.

'_Somebody gave this girl too much sugar_,' Angela thought as she grabbed Maya's hand, using it as support to pull herself up. This made Maya fall to her knees. "Hey!" she snapped angrily.

"I suppose we're even now, since you hit me with the door," Angela replied, perfectly masking her anger with a smile. Maya grumbled in response.

"You hit the new residents with a door?" Yolanda demanded with a frown on her wrinkled features.

"N-no, grandma! Only that girl and I didn't do it on purpose!" Maya protested.

"Even if you only hit one of the new residents-"

"Excuse me," Angela said, interrupting Yolanda. "You are the owners of Ocarina Inn, right? May I work here for part-time?"

Yolanda smiled gently. "Let's see what you can do."

**…**

**Ocarina Inn**

**6:00PM**

-KABOOM!-

Inside the kitchen, Angela stared at the exploded 'stuff'-what ever she was attempting to cook- in the pot. Kevin pulled on his gloves nervously. "I told you it wasn't a good idea," Kasey mumbled (for the sixth time).

Maya was sobbing and hugging Angela tightly. "It's okay –sniffle- Angie-Angie. It's okay…"

"Yes, Maya, you found a comrade. Anyways, was this your first time cooking?" Yolanda asked, sweat-dropping.

"Yes," Angela answered. She didn't take her piercing eyes off of the dangerous-looking blob in the pot like it would magically turn into some nice carrot soup any time soon. "Kevin is the one who always cooks for us."

"Why doesn't Kevin want to work here then?" Yolanda asked curiously.

"It would be better for all of us if he tends the farm," Angela said bitterly, remembering her uselessness with the sickle, hoe, AND watering can. She glared at Kasey again, who accidentally let a comment like 'how can someone_ not_ know how to water plants?' slip out.

"I see," Yolanda said. She smiled. "Even though your first try was a mess-up, I noticed that you memorized the recipe perfectly just by glancing at it. This was your first time with cooking something, so I wouldn't use that against you that much. Believe it or not, you were a tiny bit better than Maya." Yolanda noticed the two brothers cleaning the mess Angela made and smiled warmly. "You can return tomorrow, and I'll train you."

"Thank you," Angela said, sounding more excited than usual. She bowed and turned to her brothers, who just slowed their cleaning to notice Angela's unusually excited behavior. "Let me help."

Kasey shook his head vigorously. "It would be faster if you didn't help."

**…**

**Farm**

**8:00PM**

When the door slammed open, Molly jumped up from the couch to greet her late siblings. "What took you guys so long- what is Angela doing on Kevin's back?" she asked, frowning.

Kasey entered after the two, staring pitifully at the youngest of the team- whose face was turning redder by the minute. At least Angela is very light for someone that height and age…

"Angela's pace was so slow was she demanded that she wanted Kevin to carry her home. I could have done this without dying, you know." Angela had always hated when 'other men' touched her (especially him) and would always stab him with a pencil or something later. He didn't care anymore. He lifted Angela off Kevin's back. For the first time, she didn't struggle at his touch. He put her down quickly just in case she was gicing him a three-second silence warning.

"Why were you in the clinic, Angela?" Molly asked, effortlessly carrying Kevin to the couch.

"Long story," Angela replied. She turned on the sink faucet and began washing her hands.

"Heh, she just doesn't want to talk about it since she's very embarrassed that she messed up- Ew!" Kasey exclaimed, lifting the wet rag off his face.

Angela smirked and held out her hand. "Can you bring it back?"

Kasey mumbled something as Angela scrubbed the rag (with soap) and put a few ice cubes in it. She placed the ice on Kevin's forehead and petted his hair like a mother caring for a sick child.

"Cute scene, isn't it?" Molly whispered.

Kasey nodded. Angela was older than Kevin by seven years, making her 24 years old and Kevin 17, so it was pretty natural for her to treat him this way. "But what kind of older sister makes her little brother carry her home? I mean, she's so much taller than him," he whispered back.

Molly shrugged. "That's Angela, I suppose."

Kasey nodded. "I guess she has to do something. There isn't much she can do besides petting his hair with her physical abilities." He opened the fridge. "Ah… I would kill for a grape cocktail."

Angela glared at him again. "I heard you guys since the beginning."

"I'm not scared~" Kasey sang. "'Cause she's only good at throwing things under three pounds." A pencil came flying at an inhumanly speed at his eye, at the last moment, he lifted his hand and caught it, 1 millimeter away from his eye.

Before Angela could throw another pencil, Molly said, "So Kasey, when can I try alcohol? I turned 21 for a while now."

"I durnoo," Kasey replied. "I turned 21 four years ago and I wonder when Angela will let me drink in her presence? _Hmmm_?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Because only stinky old men drink. You can drink but make sure to stay twenty feet away from me," Angela retorted.

"This house isn't even twenty feet wide!"

"That's my point. And stay away from me after drinking too because your breath always smells afterwards."

**…**

**Spring 10****th****, Year 1**

**Harmonica Town **

**10:00AM**

_Yolanda smiled. "You have improved a lot these days." She turned to the crying girl in the corner. "For the sake of your friend, you should be happy she improved! Anyway," she continued, ignoring Maya. "Deliver this to a young man named Toby. Making a good meal also involves the happiness of the person eating it."_

"If only I knew what 'Toby' looks like," Angela mumbled. She stuffed the apron she received as a sign of being an official apprentice at the Inn into her rucksack. There was no way she was going to be seen wearing _that_.

"You need something from me?" a man's voice asked.

She looked up to see a silver-haired fisherman dressed in light blue. His eyes were closed, like he was sleep…standing. "Yes I do," she said. "Your lunch," the brunette held out the bento boxes wrapped in a green cloth along with an envelope.

Toby silently thanked her and scanned the letter. Angela stared hard at the custom-made envelope with an ocarina on it. '_Why would people waste money on such tiny things_?' she wondered. Angela smiled and bowed her head slightly. Before she could walk away, Toby called out, "Miss... Angela?"

Toby held up the package with a smile. "Would you like to have lunch with me; you are the one who made this, correct?"

Angela blinked. "_Making a good meal involves the happiness of the person eating it_." She raised her eyebrow, bewildered of his request. "Why would you invite a stranger to eat with you?"

Toby shrugged and cast his gaze on the ocean. "You made the food."

Angela crossed her arms. "Are you implying that people here interrupt the cooks during their shift to share part of their meal?"

"Not exactly; we're just being friendly," Toby said quickly. Angela continued to stare at him suspiciously. Before she could retort and say something very intellectual and leave him with no response, he said, "Are you coming or not? I am not a doctor, but I think being that skinny at that height is unhealthy."

"I am fi-" Angela's stomach growled softly –loud enough for Toby to hear. Her face reddened a little. Toby smiled and motioned her to follow him to the dock.

'_Why does everyone on this island think I am unhealthy_?' she thought to herself.

"Do you like to fish?" Toby asked when they sat down on a towel and spread out the food.

"Not really," Angela replied while eating rice along with some mushrooms. Toby cast a line. "Do you earn a lot of money from fishing?" she asked.

"Depends on where you fish and how experienced you are," Toby advised. "And-" Before he could continue, he started tugging on the line. "Lately, the fish populations have increased around here. You catch fish much quicker than before."

Angela stared at the azure water, reminded that she didn't ring a bell yet. "Can I try?"

Toby opened his case and took out another fishing pole. "It's my old one. You can upgrade it when you become more experienced."

Angela nodded and cast the line. Not even after five minutes, she caught a fish. She smiled. "You catch on pretty fast," Toby said.

"Thank you."

**…**

**Beach**

**2:00AM**

Wizard walked along the beach, watching the water dance across the sand. He continued to walk in peace until he stumbled over something he did not notice was there. There was a girly squeak as Wizard regained his balance. The brunette sat up, glaring at him. "You kicked me," she hissed.

"…Sorry," he almost whispered.

"Sorry?" Her voice began to rise. "Is that you have to say?" She bolted up to be face-to-face with Wizard, glaring into his emerald orbs. Wizard took a step backward; he was surprised to encounter such a fiery human at this time at the night, and that she was only a centimeter or two shorter than him.

"…Very sorry… for… kicking you," he mumbled.

Angela scowled and crossed her arms. "Never mind, it doesn't matter anymore." When her arm touched the left side of her ribcage-where Wizard had kicked her- she flinched. She scowled again, realizing that the silver-haired stranger's tiny kick had just bruised her. Grumbling to herself about how weak she was again, she sat back down onto a piece of cloth she was laying on to prevent sand from getting into her hair. Wizard observed the cloth and noticed it was an apron from Ocarina Inn; a pink one similar to the one Maya wears.

"Does it… hurt?" Wizard asked both slowly and quietly. Angela cast a line into the sea.

"Not really," Angela lied. It stung every time she moved.

Wizard had a pang of guilt in his chest. He slowly sat down onto the sand. "It… helps… bruises to put… warm sack on… it," he suggested.

Angela inwardly sighed. A hot pack sounds nice, and she would be able to work at Ocarina more efficiently too, but she didn't see it at the clinic and ordering it from online would make the delivering fees expensive, not to mention there wasn't even internet to steal _anywhere_ on the island. If _someone_ on the island had internet, even if it was locked, she would be able to hack it without batting an eyelash. But nooo… this island _had_ to be so rural, there wasn't even one reception bar on her iPhone. Even when she stood on tall things and on tall places.

"Thanks," she said nonchalantly.

Wizard tilted his head slightly to the left. "You… are very kind."

Angela scoffed. "Aren't I?" she asked sarcastically. "How observant of you. Let me guess, you're one of the Harvest Goddess's acquaintances, right? That's how you can read my mind or something?"

"No… Can feel your… emotions…"

"I see. So, did Kasey find the ingredients to that potion you're making yet?"

Wizard shook his head. "Why… do you not… pursue the bells? Will…lose bet… Kevin solved blue bell … Kasey will find… hibiscus on Toucan afterwards…" **(A/N: If you don't really understand what he's talking about (I really don't want to make him speak a lot with a bunch of '…'s) he's saying that Kevin unlocked the blue bell already, and Kasey will soon the only ingredient he's missing: the hibiscus from Toucan Island)**

Angela shrugged and pulled the line, catching a flounder. "This again," she grumbled. She threw it into the bucket where she kept her caught fish to keep them fresh. "It doesn't matter," she said while casting a new line. "I pay for most of their meals already. Besides, we still have the purple bell after the other four are restored."

"Are you not… afraid… your siblings… will also ring… yellow bell?"

"I doubt it," Angela said confidently. "The crops we plant on the farm on solely for profit, and they know that very well. We need them. However," she snickered. "I don't think they noticed I have a small lettuce patch in the forest behind our house."

"… It must be hard for you," Wizard remarked.

"Not really," Angela replied. "Not many weeds grow nearby because it's in the forest, but the soil quality is horrible. It's very difficult to grow 'good' lettuce. But it'll grow eventually."

There was a silence and only the sound of waves could be heard. Moments later, Wizard asked, "Why… are you… so open… with me?"

"You mean why I talk to you about personal things since we just met?"

Wizard nodded.

"At first glance, I can tell you're not exactly human-no offense," Angela explained.

She paused and stared at Wizard. "?"

"You're supposed to say 'none taken'."

Wizard had a very shocked expression on his face and stuttered, "N-none… t-t-taken."

Angela chuckled. "Anyways, you probably know a lot of things about me already with those special powers of yours. You know very well where we came from, correct?"

"Yes… a hidden division in the U.S. military… Specializes in spying… for terrorist… threats and… eliminating them… Also-"

"I get your point," Angela said, covering his mouth. "No need to say any more than that. My point is, there's no point in hiding anything if you already know. You won't tell anyone, right?" she asked, sending daggers at his face."

"…No," he bumbled.

"That's good," she huffed, returning her gaze on the dark, vast ocean.

"…You… are very trusting…" Wizard whispered almost inaudible-ly. "Why?"

"Because I can tell when people are lying. I've gotten lessons," she replied.

Wizard tilted his head slightly to his left, something he does out of habit whenever he's observing something seriously. Despite her cold personality, the effect of being in the military for years, she was quite trusting of others.

Angela frowned, watching him stare at her with multiple thoughts going on in his head from the corner of her eye. '_Aish, this is why I hate mind readers_,' she thought.

"I… can't read minds…" Wizard whispered.

"Then how did you know what I was thinking?" she asked with an annoyed tone.

He shifted his gaze. "I can feel… your… emotions… If you're sad… happy… excited… stressed… I can feel them… like… you can hear... sound. With that… I guess what you're… thinking."

"I see," her voice softened _a little_. "You seem to understand people very well." She stood up and put away her fishing rod. "It's getting late. It was nice talking to you. You definitely knew already, but I am Angela."

"…Why… do you never say your… last name?" Wizard asked as he stood up.

"Why ask if you know already?" Angela asked. "I am not qualified to use the last name from my real parents, and I refuse to use Captain's last name." She picked up the apron and brushed off any grains of sand that were left. "I never got your name."

"Wizard."

Angela raised her eyebrow and smirked. "Being secretive, aren't you? Oh well, I'm not the type to pry. Good night, Wizard," she waved, turned around, and began to walk away.

As Angela's back began to shrink the farther she walked, Wizard began to wonder if all girls from the military were like that: extremely tall, sharp, and always seemed to have an ice wall around her. It's not that Wizard was particular warm and friendly around humans, but she's the first with that unique personality. He hadn't met many people, but he did live for centuries, and that should be enough to say that Angela is very different from girls her age. He wondered if all female soldiers were like that; he never met any before Angela. If only all the ambitious people in the world were like her: desiring only enough for the survival of her and her loved ones, and knows what is right in every action. Then, the world would be a much better place.

Wizard sat back down to observe the stars, but they seemed a little bit more distant today than other days. He wondered why.

* * *

><p><strong>... I know what you're thinking. "I've waited a month and all I get is this c-"<strong>

**Well SORRY D: It was like politics in my mind to 'includes this' or 'not,' 'to have that' or 'delete it'. I mean, I was arguing with MYSELF for the past month. (And slacking off every now and then) And don't laugh, Rachel, I know you're laughing! -Edit- And I fixed the error you pointed out in your ridiculously long review, Rachel. I bet it took you an hour to write that :D  
><strong>

**Don't give up on me, please my only few readers! D:**

**And the candidates for Angela:**

**Chase (I know, he only showed up for like five seconds)**

**Toby**

**Wizard**

**... After debating, I decided to take Gill out of this and replace him with Wizard because Wizard and Angela can meet more... naturally. -cough- Well, Toby in the same sense too.  
><strong>

**And I apologize to MidnightxMusic who voted -1 for Gill in Chapter 1 (I'm sorry, you wasted your vote D:) But I am planning to make one of the characters play a prank on him and you can laugh at him then :D**


	4. Azalea

**I've given up saying excuses. I've been lazy about half the time this past month... and I even passed the deadline I made for myself. -.-**

**In any case, you probably noticed that there are characters for this story now. Kevin and Angela. BUT ITS NOT AN ANGELAXKEVIN PAIRING... So here's the explanation for something so... strange. o.o**

**A friend of mine (who actually managed to guess who I was in real life ( I mean is it THAT obvious?)) said that this story is very hard to find because it has no characters. It's not that forgot. It's because there are four main characters, (Molly, Angela, Kevin, Kasey) and doesn't allow me to have four main characters, only two. And it's obviously not fair for me to make two of the four siblings more "important" because in this case, they are all equally important in this story. It will be a little confusing, so please LISTEN/READ carefully. Here's the example.**

***The main character of the most recent chapter, in this case is Kevin, would be first. And the main character of the PREVIOUS chapter/second-most recent chapter, would come second, making the character thing look like this: **

** Kevin (and) Angela**

**But don't get confused! Kevin and Angela are NOT the pairing! **

**And if the previous chapter or current chapter is something like first (introduction) or an extra/omake chapter, I would either put "General" there or leaving it blank. I haven't quite decided yet. But don't worry, something like that would not be happening anytime soon, I assure you xD**

**And thank you all for reading and reviewing my story! You are so kind! And special thanks to my un-official beta reader, Code name: Evil bunny!**

**It's really long... (going against what I had declared in Orange Plus Blue Equals, saying how I would keep it under 5k or 3k words) but I find it hard to squeeze all these events that happen in this chapter to 5k words. It would make things look rushed... and messy... and underdeveloped. **

**Before I forget, DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HARVEST MOON OR IT'S CHARACTERS. **

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Spring 11th, Year 1<strong>

**Farm**

**5:30AM**

"Good morning," Kevin called, rubbing his eyes.

"'Morning," Angela replied. "Breakfast is ready." She turned her head to give Kevin a nod.

"Coming," he answered. After Angela was hired and trained at Yolanda's Inn, she started to cook their meals to practice at home. She was improving at a scary speed.

He closed the (rotten) wood door behind him and squinted. He rubbed his eyes again to make sure he was seeing clearly. "Angela, what are you doing?"

"Experimenting."

Kevin mouthed an 'okay' and took the completed omelet and set the table.

Angela sprinkled some salt on the omelet she was making, threw it up in the air and expertly catching it. She dumped it in the plate she was holding. "Can you put some cabbage in that, Kevin?" Angela asked without looking at him. She quickly cracked a new egg to make the final omelet while holding out the plate behind her.

Kevin quickly grabbed it and set it on the table (that was very far from the kitchen). Then, he grabbed a leaf of cabbage from the refrigerator. "What time did you come home last night?" Kevin asked once both he and Angela sat down at the table. "I was up until one, and I still didn't hear you come home.

Angela placed down the plate of omelet on Kasey's seat and set the table. "I just got home," she replied.

Kevin checked his watch. "It's barely past 5:45; why are you still up? Pulling all-nighters is not good for the body, even if it's you, Angela!" She shrugged and sat down at her usual spot at the table. "Being a farmer takes much more energy and endurance than being a spy, Angela. There are 'active' times and 'inactive' times so it's really not that tiring," Kevin explained.

Seeing that Angela wasn't really listening, Kevin breathed in a deep breath and continued with more reason this time. "We've had our first harvest and Kasey is mining daily now. You don't have to pull all-nighters for this. It's better if you stay healthy and not get sick. After all, you can't just ask Dr. Stanley from Division VI for medicines for free anymore."

"I haven't been sick for four years, five months, and fourteen days," she retorted.

"It's colder here, so you should watch your health; you wouldn't want to destroy that record, do you Angela?" Kevin snapped, almost in a rude way.

Angela grinned almost an evil way and replied, "Oh? Two can play that game." The two siblings held a very intense staring contest at the table. Although Angela acted as cynical as usual, in the back of her mind, she wondered why he suddenly acted differently than usual.

With the worst timing, Kasey opened the door and walked out of the bathroom and stared at them, confused with what was happening. "... What's wrong, guys?" Kasey laughed nervously. "It's kinda tense in here, isn't?"

Kevin turned away, his heart pounding. This was the first time he was glared at by Angela and stared back into her piercing brown- almost black eyes. He stared at his half-eaten omelet sadly before grabbing it and stuffing it in his mouth. He avoided Angela's eyes and placed the plate into the sink. "Al bee outshuide if yoo nud meh (I'll be outside if you need me)" he mumbled without spitting out his food. Then, he opened the door and closed the door gently behind him.

As he dragged his feet dejectedly, he heard Kasey snap, "Why did you scare him like that?" He heard Kasey fork the omelet and a second later, there was a scream. "WHAT DID YOU PUT IN THERE?"

Kevin could imagine Angela shrugging before answering, "It was an experiment."

He had a bugging feeling in his chest as he refilled the watering can. He had asked Angela a few days ago if he could buy a duckling for the blue bell quest. In return for buying something that was quite expensive (800G), he decided that he wouldn't eat breakfast the next morning. He had assured Angela that he would find something in the wild and cook it up using the box of matches he had. However, Angela still made him breakfast the next morning and told him that it was alright.

'_Why did I get all bossy and order Angela around?_' he continued to ask himself. Was it wrong for Angela to spend an entire night fishing to earn back the 800G he spent? Although it was not necessary, Kevin knew very well of Angela's insecurity, and she had to do a lot more than necessary for her to feel… okay. Was it wrong of her to earn the money back so just in case anyone else- just like him- believed the bell quest was more important than their leader's well-being?

The thought of Angela not progressing on the completion of the yellow bell and eventually losing the bet because of them-he and his other siblings- hurt him. Knowing Molly, she may not have noticed this yet, and unless someone told her, she would waste Angela's hard-earned money if she won. Kevin sighed as he continued to feel guilty while he watered the plants. "Hey, Mr. Potato…" Kevin said as he watered the still-a-sprout potato in front of him. "Wouldn't getting a part-time job like Angela help a lot of things?"

No response.

Kevin sighed and turned to Mrs. Potato next Mr. Potato. "What do you think, Mrs. Potato- wait! That's a really brilliant idea!" he exclaimed happily. "If only I had thought of that idea earlier; thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Potato." He quickly (and also a little messily) finished watering the rest of the plants and (at first ran) jogged towards Harmonica Town. He jogged down the miniature slope of the hill and slowed to his walking pace when he heard the _clack_-_clack_ sound of his boots against the white stone bridge. It was the "entrance" to Harmonica Town. Kevin marveled at how clean and shiny it looked before finally walking off the bridge. He turned the knob of the blue door. The sign next to it read 'Town Hall'.

…

**Operation: Save an Island!**

**Chapter 4: Azalea **

**Town Hall**

**7:45 AM**

"A part time job?" Gill inquired curiously. He placed down his pen and stood up to find a file from one of the shelves.

Kevin nodded. "Preferably a job at the clinic so I can learn how to make medicines."

Gill raised his eyebrow as he scanned the contents of the file. "This is not exactly up-to-date, and things are slow on this island, so, most likely, there won't be any changes on this 'help wanted' list. And sorry about my father's untalented way of naming things."

Kevin's shoulders slumped. "It's okay… There are no open jobs at the clinic?"

"Unfortunately, no," Gill responded. He closed the file and put it back on the shelf. "The Brass Bar has been trying to hire a new employee for ages, but you know who that job is reserved for, right?"

"Angela?" Kevin asked.

"That's what Yolanda wants. The Ocarina Inn actually didn't require a worker since the beginning. She probably only intended to train your sister, and after she thinks your sister is qualified, she would transfer her to the Brass Bar." Kevin mouthed an 'oh' and stared at his shoes. Gill showed a rare, small smile and reached out to put his left hand on Kevin's shoulder. Before he managed to say any comforting words, the blue door burst open. "Gilbert!"

There was a small silhouette standing at the doorway- pink hair tied in two curly pigtails. Gill winced and used his left hand to rub his ringing ears. "As I was about to say," he continued, placing his finger on the name of a shop in his file. "This shop is looking for a helpful part-timer."

"Which one?" Kevin asked excitedly. He was finally going to have a part-time job!

"Helloooo?" the girl called, waving her hands in front of Gill's face. Kevin noticed she had to go onto her toes to be able to reach his eyes. For the first time, he realized that Gill was taller than he thought previously, seeing how he was shorter than Angela the first time they met. "Have you noticed me at all, _Gilligan_?" she demanded angrily.

"For the last time, my name is Gill," he growled.

"I'll call you that as long as you don't ignore me," she huffed, sticking her nose haughtily into the air.

"I was discussing something important, Luna."

"I am more important!" she demanded.

Kevin noticed Gill roll his eyes as he searched for a piece of paper on his full desk. "All you have to do is fill this out and sign your name here. Then, all you have to do is pass their test," Gill said, handing him the paper and a pen.

"I am talking to you, Gill!" Luna screeched angrily. Gill returned to his desk and covered his left ear with the hand he wasn't writing with.

It took Kevin about a minute to fill the entire paper with his and his family's personal information, even with Luna's constant whining in the background. Angela had "expected" that he memorized all his personal information (including his full social security number) at age twelve. He chuckled at the memory of a nineteen year-old Angela giving Molly a lecture about tying her shoelaces.

One time, while on one of their simpler missions (around the time Angela was nineteen and Kevin had to stay back because he was too young), Angela spotted Molly's untied shoes and began to lecture her, distracting our other teammates. Molly refused to tie her shoes, insisting that she won't trip like Angela had said. One of our teammates accidentally mis-aimed a shot and if Angela didn't trip over a tiiiiiiiiny little ledge in the ground, she would most likely have died that day. It was considered a taboo for Molly to tease Angela about the shoelaces. One time she did, about a year after the incident, "Even though my shoelaces were untied, who was the one who tripped? And your shoelaces were tied too!"

Kasey, who was planning to add in, decided that he was going to live a lot longer if he didn't say anything after seeing Angela's irritated expression. Kevin wasn't exactly sure what Angela did/say to Molly, but Kasey had covered his eyes and ears and led him into another room. For weeks, both Angela and Molly didn't exchange any words.

"Gill," Kevin said, saving Gill from Luna's screeching for a brief moment. "Where is Sonata Tailoring?"

"Luna, why don't you lead him there?" Gill suggested.

"Why do _I_ have to?" she huffed. "And what business does he have there?" she demanded, pointing almost childishly at Kevin.

"He's your new part-timer," Gill replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

Luna frowned, averting her gaze to examine Kevin. "But he dresses so… plainly! Look at those country-bumpkin-like pants. It's almost disgusting! And look at that scarf thingy he wears at his neck. Not only it is totallyyy outdated, it doesn't even match! And look at those gloves! They-"

As Luna continued to rant on how badly he dressed, Kevin wondered if he really looked as bad as she said. He pulled on his gloves. Were they really that stupid-looking? He found them quite comfortable.

Gill sighed heavily. "Must you always do this to every living human you see?" He pushed Luna and Kevin out the Town Hall. "Why don't you two get acquainted somewhere else? Unlike you, Luna, I am very busy today." He gave Kevin an encouraging nod and slammed the door.

"Stingy," Luna hissed, and stomped away with her arms crossed. Kevin didn't follow. After stomping for quite a distance, she stopped and yelled angrily, "Well, are you coming or not?"

Kevin smiled a little and ran after her. She saw his smile in the reflection of the Sonata Tailoring store window. "Don't think I approved of your way of dressing," she said with an annoyed tone. She didn't understand why this guy was smiling. "He's like an idiot!" she whispered to herself.

…

**Sonata Tailoring**

**8:00 AM **

"Sis, make this test very hard," Luna whispered. The moment she entered Sonata Tailoring, she ran to the back and pulled her sister to a corner.

Kevin was in their store, marveling at almost everything he saw. "This looks so difficult and professional," he commented, admiring a lace curtain.

"W-why?" her older sister asked, playing with the hem of her blue dress nervously. She had long, blue bangs that hid her beautiful face.

"Because, Candace!" Luna whispered, almost too loudly for a whisper. "He's weird! What kind of guy is interested in laces and clothes?"

"J-Julius is…" she replied almost inaudibly.

Luna sighed exasperatedly. "What I mean is, I don't like him."

"B-but you wouldn't know if he's good or not…" Candace mumbled.

"I just don't want two gay people in our shop everyday!"

"I really doubt that either Kevin or Julius are into… that." Candace whispered, shivering at the thought.

In the distance, the pair of siblings heard Kevin questioning Shelly about his way of dressing. Luna heard Shelly comment that his outfit wasn't bad or anything and a vein popped on her head. '_Is grandma blind_?' she thought angrily. "You better make the test hard," she told Candace before running off to lecture him once again.

…

"I-i-it's quite s-simple," Candace explained. Shelly managed to get Luna to stop ranting on the same things over and over again long enough for Candace to explain their test. "W-with these materials, p-please m-make anything to t-the b-best of you're abil-ability." She quickly handed the materials to Kevin and sped away, avoiding her younger sister's menacing glare.

"Oh really?" Kevin asked, examining the blue yarn. "Alright, then." He picked up the yarn began to weave something. Luna was about to start complaining about anything that came to her mind until Shelly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away.

"B-but," Luna had tried to protest.

"You should perfect your embroidery first before you bother everyone else," Shelly hinted, patting the unfinished pink piece of fabric on the work table. Luna grumbled angrily as she dropped herself onto the seat and began working on the 'dress' clumsily. There was a very uncomfortable silence in the shop as Kevin finished his project. Candace hoped that he finished quickly so Luna would stop shooting daggers at her.

"Done!" Kevin proudly announced. Although he spoke at a normal volume, he felt that he shouted because of the eerie silence in the room.

"Let me see," Shelly said, gently taking the object from Kevin. It was a teru teru bozu, a cute charm thing (usually hung near the door) to ward off rain, made from blue yarn. It had a cute happy-face sewn on its head, and it wore a very complicated dress.

"…I-it is well-made," Candace complimented almost silently.

"I think it's too plain! Not cute! It's all the same color!" Luna huffed, crossing her arms defiantly. Kevin tilted his head, noting to himself that Luna was also only wearing one color- pink. She glared at him from the corner of her eye and yelled, "I am not only wearing pink. Look!" She lifted her skirt up a little, and Kevin quickly slapped his eyes, covering them. "M-Miss Luna! You shouldn't flash your panties randomly at guys…!" he exclaimed.

Luna glared at him. _He complains too much_, she thought. She crossed her arms. "You better not look; I am lifting it up all the way," she lied.

Kevin panicked. "M-Miss Luna… the people outside will see you- Oh my goddess!"

Luna jabbed him in the side, the spot where all ticklish people were ticklish at, which lowered his hands so they weren't blocking his view anymore. "I-I am so sorry Miss Luna! I am very certain that I did not see anything," Kevin stammered.

"Pervert," Luna said.

"I am very sorry, Miss Luna! But I really did not see anything, from the bottom of my heart. You have to believe me, Miss Luna!"

Luna _hmphed_, and turned her head to the right. Behind that frowning face, she was a bit amused that someone actually fell for her acting. She lifted her skirt again- "Ahh! Stop doing that, Miss Luna!" Kevin exclaimed, covering his eyes again.

"Guy with a bad taste!" she yelled. "Uncover your eyes!"

He slowly and kind of unwillingly moved his fingers out of the way. He peeked with one eye between two of his fingers. Kevin noticed that Luna was only lifting up her skirt a little; you couldn't see her panties at all. Then, he noticed that the underside of the pink skirt she was wearing was actually red and the colors of her socks were white.

"I am not wearing the same color," she commanded. Luna let a small amused smile appear on her face. She didn't expect him to admit it. She huffed again and grabbed a red ribbon, put in her hair, and grabbed her black bunny plushie. "Happy now?"

Kevin gave her a small, sincere smile. He didn't want to continue this argument about clothes. "Yes, it looks cute."

Luna's face reddened. To hide it, she huffed defiantly again and whipped her head to the side. "And you look soooo unfashionable today."

Kevin frowned, obviously very confused.

As Luna stalked off to the back of the shop, she whispered, "Also, you smell like a rancher." She didn't know, though, that Kevin heard it loud and clear.

"Miss Shelly?" Kevin asked while he helped her with simple tasks such as feeding their silkworms, organizing the clothes, and cleaning their shop.

"Shelly is fine, dear," the old woman answered with a kind smile.

Kevin beamed. He dusted the surfaces a little faster than before. "Okay, so, _Shelly_, I have a question." The old woman nodded, assuring her attention. "Do girls normally get angry when you say they are cute?"

Shelly frowned. "Usually no, unless she's very… manly. Why?"

"Oh, because Miss Luna seemed to be quite angry when I complimented her clothes." He wondered if he had trouble understanding people. He didn't exactly have many chances to get acquainted with normal girls. Mostly all the girls back in the military, like the girl his team collaborated with during a mission, were very tough and refused to admit they thought Hello Kitty was cute. Although he thought he had a pretty good understanding because he read quite a number of books about building relationships with others. It made him sad, thinking that he might have just wasted his time.

Shelly laughed. "That's her personality so don't let that get to you, dear."

Kevin scrunched his eyebrows together. "Why would she do that? Wouldn't saying such things make others …dislike Miss Luna?"

"Luna… is very kind at heart…" Candace whispered.

Kevin jumped, almost dropping the frilly top he was folding. Luckily, he managed to catch it and placed it neatly on the display table. He turned around and faced her, noticing that her eyes were full of determination. Although he had just met her, he could tell by her personality that she was serious.

That made Kevin think if there were any hidden intentions behind calling him a 'country bumpkin' and 'what kind of 70's fashion sense do you have?' besides trying to make business for their shop. He smiled. "I'll take your words into consideration, Miss Candace," he replied politely.

She smiled warmly, bowed, and walked off.

"She's cute, eh?" Shelly asked, smirking.

"Young love. Young love," Yolanda said, appearing out of nowhere.

"Master Yolanda!" Kevin exclaimed. He bowed. "Thank you for always taking care of my sister."

"It's no problem." The head chef chuckled. "Sooo, young Kevin? How's life, especially those juicy teenage dramas?"

"Grandma, Yolanda, can you two please knock it off? Must you ask that same question to every living teenager you see?" Luna snapped.

"Oh, you're here, Luna!" Yolanda said, delighted.

"Yes, she was working on her dress in the back of the shop until now," Shelly said.

"Are you this young man's girlf-"

"Yolanda, would you like to purchase anything today?" Luna hissed. She sounded like she was about to kill someone.

To be safe, Kevin backed away. "Excuse me, Miss Shelly, Master Yolanda; I am going to find the broom."

"Young Kevin!" Yolanda said. "Why rush? Make us old ladies feel included too!"

"U-um… I noticed a dirty spot on the floor…" he said. From behind, he could almost feel Luna's angry glare bearing holes in his back for ditching her and leaving her behind to deal with the old ladies.

…

**8:00 PM**

**Harmonica Town**

"See you tomorrow," Kevin said, waving politely and closing the door of the Sonata Tailoring. He received a kind reply from Shelly, a hmph from Luna, and a silent nod from Candace. He felt a little guilty for ditching Luna to deal with Master Yolanda and Miss Shelly a while ago.

The evenings on Castanet were beautiful; the night sky and stars looked so close and almost touchable. It gave a very different feeling than back on the mainland. (Castanet isn't exactly an island, but I really have no idea what to call it so let's pretend it is.) He breathed in a breath of air as he strolled down the quiet, evening street of Harmonica Town. Kevin sighed, wondering how he would properly apologize to Angela. He knew that whenever he said sorry, she would nod and it would be fine, but he felt that it was a bit different this time. He wanted to properly make it up to her for once.

Kevin crossed the bridge again, scrunching his eyebrows together, deep in thought. He heard a soft humming from the bottom of the bridge, interrupting his train of thought. He looked over the side of the bridge, noticing that there was no one there. He started to wonder if it was a mermaid or something. He read that mermaids were beautiful half-humans, half-fish people that were really good at singing. He got a little excited. If there were goddesses and Harvest Sprites on Castanet, it wouldn't be weird if there were mermaids, right?

Kevin then saw a fishing line being casted. He was confused. Mermaids are also fish so they wouldn't eat their own kind! Unless… they were cannibals…! He leaned farther over the side of the bridge, curious of what was under it. He began to hear the humming again. It was most definitely a female voice… Angela often fished. Kevin leaned over even farther, almost to the point of falling over to the side of the bridge. The humming stopped abruptly. "What are you doing?" the voice asked.

Kevin hung over the edge, unmoving. He could finally see the person now: it was a girl with kind of a nut-brownish shade of brown hair and eyes. She stared at him, bewildered of his strange actions. He did seem kind of suspicious, he admitted to himself. After all, he was pretty much hanging upside-down to look at a girl fish under a bridge. Kind of like a peeper. He blushed and immediately stammered, "I just started; I wasn't spying on you!" The girl tilted her head either in confusion or suspicion. It was kind of dark to see clearly. "I assure you! I was just curious who was singing-"

While he was trying to prove his innocence, he forgot to hold on to the side of the bridge and tumbled head-first into the cold canal. The girl jumped to her feet. "Are you alright?"

Kevin's head rose above the surface, gasping. "C-cold!" He shivered once before he began swimming towards the land the girl. It seems that there were a small flight of stairs from the side of the bridge to where she was sitting to fish. He pulled himself out of the water and onto the concrete. His teeth continued to chatter. "G-good thing my rucksack is w-waterproof," he mumbled.

The girl used her handkerchief and wiped off some water droplets off his face. "I am sorry, but I don't have a jacket," she said.

Kevin shook his head vigorously, unintentionally splattering water on her from his wet hair. "You even dirtied your handkerchief for a peeper like me…"

She laughed. "My name is Renee. You're one of the new residents, aren't you? Are you Kasey?"

"I am Kevin," he replied, kind of happy that someone mistook his measly self with his much-admired older brother.

"Oh, sorry. My mistake," Renee said, scratching her head nervously. Her eyes softened. "And you shouldn't put yourself down so much. I am sure being the youngest of your siblings is tough; how they seem to be a lot better than you. But it's natural because they are older. Someday, when you are the age they are now, you might actually be better than them." She stopped. "Wait, let me reword that. It sounded strange." Renee paused again and laughed nervously. "For example, let's say they are 19 years old and in a few years when you are 19 years old, you might actually be better than your siblings when she/he was 19 years old!" She frowned. "That didn't make sense either. Let me rephrase that-"

"I understand what you are trying to tell me," Kevin interrupted.

She smiled. "Thank goodness. I tend to have a hard time explaining things." Kevin returned her smile. It seemed like they were having a who-can-smile-the best-contest until Kevin sneezed. "Oh my gosh. I totally forgot that you fell into the water earlier!" Renee exclaimed. "Do you want me to run to the Tailor's to get a jacket for you?" She checked her watch. "Oh no, but they closed three hours ago-"

"I can run home," Kevin suggested. "It's kind of convenient for me because I haven't jogged properly in a long time."

Renee frowned. "Are you sure? You might catch a cold."

Kevin shook his head. "I'll be fine!" He was pretty sure she would protest so he turned his heel and ran off. "See you some other time, Miss Renee!"

…

**8:30 PM**

**Farm**

Kevin opened and slammed the door abruptly. When he was finally in the warmth of the house, he breathed a sigh of relief. The first person he saw was the last person he wanted to see- Angela. She was at the kitchen and her head was turned almost 360-degrees to examine him. Her eyes narrowed. "Why are you wet?" She turned off the stove and removed the gloves she had on her hands and felt his face and forehead. "You're freezing."

"What happened, Kevin?" Kasey worriedly asked from where he was sitting on the couch. With eyes full of concern, he quickly stood up and walked over. Kasey repeated his question.

"I fell off the Harmonica Bridge," he replied, a little embarrassed.

Angela narrowed her eyes even narrower than earlier. "Why?"

"I thought a mermaid was singing," Kevin rubbed his head, very embarrassed for admitting to doing something stupid like that.

Exactly how he had expected, Kasey snickered. Angela sighed and rolled her eyes. "Go take a bath," she ordered before turning her heel and continuing to cook.

Before Kevin could leave the living room, Kasey yelled, "Wait for me! Let's take a _brotherly _bath together; _sisters_ can't join!" He stuck his tongue out at Angela, who didn't even bother to look back. He ran into the bathroom to get his clothes, and Kevin went into his room to get his clothes. Kevin didn't exactly understand why Kasey had to make him wait for his older brother. Kasey's room was temporarily the bathroom, meaning all his clothes would be in there. Did he just say that so he can inform Angela what they were doing? He didn't understand why though.

"You go in first," Kevin said, motioning towards the bath. As cold as he felt, he didn't exactly want to share a bath with another guy; it's kind of weird, especially since the bath was small.

Kasey gasped dramatically and pushed him into the bath. "Kevin, do you now how long it's been since we last bathed together?"

Kevin looked away, careful not to see anything. "Last month?"

"Wrong!" Kasey yelled. "It was some time last year!"

"But I remember last month-"

"So you see how long it has been since we had some brotherly bonding time?" Kasey interrupted, getting into the bath. When he got in, a lot of the water escaped. Kevin stared, watching most of the bathwater flood the bathroom. Angela was going to be so mad later… "And don't worry about that female grouch out there!" he assured, waving his hand.

"I can hear you loud and clear," Angela said.

Kasey flinched. "Her voice sounded like she was still in the kitchen and yet she could still hear us!" he whispered. "She's got the ears of a devil!" He shivered. "Eavesdropper Angela~"

Kevin could hear his sister sigh. "Could you two hurry up and finish your brotherly bonding so you could clean up the mess you made?"

Kasey scowled. "Since you're the neat freak, why don't you clean it up?" he mumbled to himself. He flinched when he heard something metallic drop onto the ground in the kitchen. "So Kevin," he said, his face serious all of a sudden. "What happened with Angela this morning? She wouldn't tell me even a word about it."

Kevin stared down at his hands and played with the warm bath water. "I… had an argument with her."

"I can tell that much," Kasey replied. "Why? You guys never argue." His eyes narrowed. "Did she start it?"

Kevin shook his head vigorously. "N-no! It was me. I kind of yelled at her for pulling an all-nighter last night. And she's not even sleeping yet…"

Kasey's eyes softened. "So that's what happened. So it's Angela's fault."

Kevin shook his head again. "No, it's mine. She wouldn't pull an all-nighter if we had plenty of money in our savings. I guess she was feeling insecure and I… made her feel even more insecure."

"Why? Angela is always money-hungry."

"It's because I bought a duck," Kevin said bitterly.

"You bought a duck," Kasey repeated. "What's wrong with that?"

"It was worth 800G and I took one of the eggs it hatched for the Blue Bell quest."

"It's just 800G," Kasey replied. "Ducks cannot get any cheaper than that. Both of you guys are exaggerating."

"B-but!"

Kasey put a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Here, I thought that something big happened, but you guys are just arguing over a mere 800G? That's equivalent to about 800 Japanese yen, or 8 U.S. dollars, or 8000 Korean won, or… or… anyways, 800G is cheap stuff!"

"Angela-"

"You guys made such a big deal out of a small siblings quarrel like this," Kasey continued to scold. "I expect the both of you to apologize to each other, since you are both at fault." Kevin nodded bitterly. Kasey grinned and pulled Kevin's face into a smile. "With the heavy things out of the way, let's talk about why you fell off the bridge." He smirked. "Soooo? Why did you fall off the bridge? Did you see some hottie by any chance?"

Kevin sweat-dropped. Kasey just recently learned of people called 'playboys' and he was trying to be one. He would feel bad for Miss Renee if Kasey tested his so-called talent on her. "I hit the nerve, didn't I?" Kasey winked. "So? What did she look like?"

Kevin shifted uncomfortably. "I… got hired at the Sonata Tailoring…" he said, trying to change the subject.

Kasey paused before slapping Kevin on the back "Man, so you fell into the river because of two hot chicks from your workplace? What a nice thought. I bet you were drooling at the sight of them and you didn't even notice that the bridge had water in it and whoops!"

"I did not fall in the water because of that," Kevin said.

"Really?" Kasey rubbed his chin. "Anyways, were they pretty? What did they look like?"

Kevin stared down at his hands. "You'll see if you come visit me during work times."

"Hmm…" Kasey nodded, as if deep in thought. "I might have to squeeze in some time between lunch break but I think I'll be able to make it to-" It seemed to Kevin that Kasey couldn't even pull his eyes away from something he shouldn't be staring at long enough to finish his sentence. Kasey grabbed Kevin's shoulders and looked at him seriously in the eyes. "You know that free cow I got from somewhere and never told Angela, fearing that she would threaten the people to give her another one?" Kevin nodded slowly. He knew very well that Angela wouldn't do that… _probably_. "Well? This hot chick and her family at the Horn-" He stopped and snickered before continuing, "-Ranch gave me that cow for free. Such nice people, aren't they? And that chick was hot!" His eyes shined brightly.

Kevin sweat-dropped. _Guess Kasey already knows Miss Renee…_He thought_. _

"In any case, that milk that 'Little Ann' produces should be MINE, not Angela's. I earn quite a sum in the mines, so Little Ann's milk shouldn't have to thrown into the shipping bin half-heartedly everyday." He shook his head once, like a very knowledgeable politician in debate. "It should be given for you to drink everyday, Kevin-poo!"

Kevin raised his brow. "I don't understand."

"It's obvious you didn't get enough nutrients when you were in your growth spurt so _that_," he said, pointing to a place where the sun didn't shine, "is as tiny as a pea!"

Kevin blushed and looked at the door of the bathroom and the mess the two made. He wondered if normal brothers talked about things like this while bathing together. He kind of doubted that they did it over the age of five.

…

**A week later…**

**Spring 18th, Year 1**

**Sonata Tailoring**

**5:00 PM**

"G-g-g-good work a-again to-today, Kevin," Candace whispered, folding her hands and bowing her head in her usual, refined manner.

Kevin smiled up from his job- which was fixing Luna's somewhat amateur embroidery and replied, "Thank you, Candace." He was quite happy. Candace rarely talked to him, and when he tried to start a conversation with her, it didn't last very long as she would stutter even before finishing her sentence and run away, leaving a very angry-looking Luna glaring holes into him. He noticed, as Candace tried to explain a week before, which Luna was kind-hearted, but expressed it in a strange way.

He noticed Shelly, his boss and highly-respected mentor, turning the open sign to closed. He got up from his special space on the work table in the back of shop and walked towards Shelly. "Uh… Miss Shelly?"

"Yes?" She turned around and looked at him in the face. She had told him a while ago that talking to someone face-to-face is a courtesy that should not be avoided.

"I know this might sound greedy of me, but may I have this week's salary? I know I am only supposed to receive my salary every month, but there's something special today…"

Kevin stared back at her, fidgeting and expecting a refuse. "Alright." Kevin blinked twice and wrinkled his brow; he wasn't sure whether he heard it correctly. Chuckling, Shelly repeated, "I'll allow you, just this once." She watched the young boy's eyes brighten. "You worked hard this week and you were very eager to get things done quickly, efficiently, and you always finish with quality work. For what ever urgent business, I think you deserve this." She took huge strides to the cashier, where all the money was stored. She took out a key, unlocked it, and did some calculations. "May I ask what this is for?" Shelly asked as she counted the G bills.

Candace flinched at where she sat and glanced nervously at something she was holding.

Kevin replied, "It's Angela's birthday today."

"Oh my." Shelly placed the bills into an envelope and handed it to Kevin. "You are a kind a little brother. Does this mean that you aren't coming back after today?"

Kevin shook his head. "Don't worry, Miss Shelly. I plan on working here for a while."

Shelly nodded. "That's a relief. Someone needs to fix Luna's embroidery. Either we- Candace or I- are too busy or we simply just don't have the patience."

"I heard that loud and clear!"

Shelly shook her head and chuckled. "Anyways, Kevin, you can leave today."

"Already? I usually stay until eight or seven," Kevin said. He placed the envelope gingerly in his rucksack.

"It's already five, and most shops close around 6. Unless you want to give your sister a late birthday present, I suggest you get going and buy that gift."

Kevin's eyes widened. "Thank you, Miss Shelly!" he yelled before sprinting at the door.

Before he could leave, Candace stood in his way, staring at her shoes, stuttering, "U-um… For Angela…" She pressed a cute little box into his hand. Blushing, she bowed once before running off.

"You knew?" he called after her.

He saw her nod her head as she ran. "Saw… in the Town Hall."

"Thank you," he said before opening the door and closing it softly.

Shelly watched Kevin sprinting like there was no tomorrow immediately after the door was shut. "Oh my, what an energetic boy Kevin is."

…

**5:59 PM**

**Flute Fields**

Kevin slammed himself into the door of Horn Ranch, panting. It was the effect of sprinting all the way here. He checked his watch and let out a sigh of relief. At the moment, the front door flew open, knocking Kevin back several feet. "Honey, I swear I heard some kind of strange thump on the door!" a deep, male voice said.

"Well do you see anything?" a female voice replied.

"No but-" He looked down and saw Kevin- who was trying to stand up to dust his pants. "Oh! There you are!" He bent down and reached out a hand. "What are you doing here?"

Kevin helped himself up. "I am here to get a birthday present. Is Miss Renee here?"

The man smiled. "My name is Cain, Renee's father." His eyes darkened a bit from before. Kevin stared, confused of his sudden change in expression. He had heard that fathers were very overprotective of their daughters. Cain paused, as if expecting Kevin to cower in fear or something like that. He scared off Toby with his masculine body several times.

"I see…" Kevin replied. "I am Kevin, one of the new ranchers."

Cain nodded.

"Hi… Mr. Cain."

Cain nodded again.

"… May I see Miss Renee now?"

Cain almost frowned in confusion. "Hey why are you so rude-"

"Oh, hi Kevin!" Renee exclaimed, emerging from behind Cain. She walked around her father's huge figure and dragged Kevin into their shop. "I am glad you managed to make it here before seven," Renee said, glancing at the clock.

Kevin wiped a small bead of sweat that was barely visible off his forehead. "Yeah…" he said slowly. He didn't exactly want to admit it, but he was still a bit out of breath.

"You got here so early… Did Shelly excuse you around four?"

"No… I asked her while she closed the shop around five," Kevin replied.

"So you… ran here?" Renee asked, her eyes widening.

Kevin nodded.

"You don't look like you ran- you're supposed to look tired!" Renee exclaimed.

"I do look tired," Kevin replied. "See, I am still a bit out of breath."

Renee looked at Kevin nervously and said, "Well, do you want some water-"

Her mother, Hanna put a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Renee, if you are going to spend the rest of the day with your boyfriend, can you please do so outside where you father can't see?" She motioned toward a corner of the shop, where Cain stood there, facing the wall and poking a piece of cheese with a twig he found. Every once and a while, he'd turn back and glare at Kevin and then dejectedly turn back to the lump of cheese with a long sigh.

"He's not my boyfriend," Renee whispered back.

"I see, he's not," Cain said, regaining his usual energy. He coolly walked over towards Kevin, kind of smirking. "Well, boy, I hope you quickly finish your 'friendly visit' soon because you are annoying Renee."

"He's not, Papa," Renee answered with a sigh. "He's here to buy a birthday present."

"The shop already closed-"

"For whom?" Hanna asked eagerly. No one buys birthday presents at their shop. They only buy the ingredients for cakes and other sweets but never something that actually came from their shop.

"My older sister," he answered. "We were kind of in a fight and I wanted to make it up to her."

Hanna stared dreamily at her merchandise. "How sweet." To think that something from here would be able to patch up a sibling relationship! "What would you like, then?"

…

After Kevin had left, Cain turned to his wife, frowning. "All those were white horses, weren't they?" Apparently, she gave kind of a choose-a-random-marble game and each different colored marble represented the available colored horse he was going to receive. Kevin randomly chose the left one and "luckily" got a white horse.

"So what if they are?" Hana asked kindly. She put the boxes back into the basket where she kept them.

"Are you just happy that someone bought something from our shop for a birthday present?" Cain asked dully. His wife loved birthdays… "So you gave them our rare white horses?"

"Correction, darling," Hana said, dusting the counter again. "He bought the horse and I was just being generous. It's no point in keeping three white horses to ourselves."

"But no one on this island, even our ancestors, had more than three horses on their ranch. If by chance we were to get a fourth one-"

"It doesn't matter to us," Hana replied sternly. "Did you notice that that boy ran from the Sonata Tailoring to here in about an hour?"

Cain barely raised an eyebrow. "Why, when I was his age-"

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem like he… works out daily like you do, darling," Hana replied.

"Even so, he is definitely not good enough for Renee-"

Hana sighed. Cain could be so silly sometimes…

…

**6:15 PM**

**Horn Ranch Barn**

Kevin gazed at the three white stallions lined up together, their coats almost glowing. "They are very pretty," he managed to whisper. He couldn't remove his eyes from them.

Renee smiled. As their caretaker, she was proud of their beauty as well. "Well, chose one. On the farthest right is the oldest one, whom we call-" She stopped, noticing that Kevin's eyes were fixated on one specific horse: the youngest one on the left. "She's the youngest and probably the fiercest of the three. Even so, she had the prettiest eyes," she introduced. Kevin smiled and walked slowly towards the horse with his hand outstretched. Renee was a bit worried. The youngest horse had an extremely horrible temper and if Kevin received one of her hind kicks…

"There, there," he assuringly whispered, calming the horse entirely.

Renee smiled. She (the horse) trusted Kevin already. "You are going to be a wonderful owner."

"Thank you. What should I name her?"

"Perhaps you should ask the person you are giving to?"

…

**9:00 PM**

**Farm**

Angela scowled as she trudged home. Surely it was the 18th and it was her birthday, but she didn't understand why her new boss (she was transferred), Hayden, and his daughter, Kathy, had dismissed her so early today. She could bet a penny (yes, only a penny) that her rival chef, Chase, who always picked fights with her, was laughing right this moment at her while drinking a cup of orange juice, aka that thick orange fluid filled with vitamin C. She must have done something to somehow anger her boss, and she probably would have to return to Yolanda's the next day. How embarrassing. As she got closer, she noticed that all of the house's lights were on. There weren't many, but all the light comes from batteries and light bulbs, which they do not sell cheap in the General Store. _Kasey…_ she angrily thought. _When I get in there, those lights better be_- "Happy 25th birthday, Angela!"

She frowned as confetti flew all around her face and landed on her hair. She huffed, blowing the piece that landed on her nose off on to the floor. She glared at all the people inside the house: all of her siblings (which was rare because either Molly or Kasey was playing with their friends in the Garmon Mine District around this time) her co-workers from both the Brass Bar and Ocarina Inn, and a few of Molly's friends. "You were so slow, Angela!" Kathy sang, grabbing Chase and hauling him to greet her. "Even Chasie here beat you!"

"That's because you closed down the shop three hours early today and threatened me to come here," he grumbled in an irritated tone.

"Huh? What'cha say?" Kathy pretended. Before Chase could answer, she pushed him away and shoved a purple box into Angela's hands. "Happy birthday, Angela!" Kasey, who was observing from behind the couch, decided that it was the best time to tease her. He smirked. "Hehe, now that we're the same age, you can't call me old man anymore."

"I can once you turn 26 in the fall. Besides, I called you a drunk, old man so get your facts right."

"Burned!" Luke shouted. Kasey grinned and ran to the back of the room to lock him in a headlock.

One by one, the guests gave Angela gifts for her birthday, some extremely weird like Maya's "dried yams," which looked rotten more than "dried." "Hey! Stop dissing my yam! It was not easy to persurve this yam from fall! It's been half a year!" She huffed angrily.

"You mean preserve," Yolanda corrected, handing Angela her gift: a jar of beautifully-made cookies.

"What ever!"

Kevin remembered to give Angela Candace's gift.

…

**12:00 AM**

** Farm**

Finally, after the guests left one by one, Kevin said, "Angela, want to see my present?"

"Sure," she replied nonchalantly as if she was tired of all the gifts she received. They never emphasized her birthday so much since when she was twelve years old and her parents were murdered. She and her five year-old brother Kevin were orphaned and taken in by the captain. Molly and Kasey were both taken in on the same year as well. Despite her unenthusiastic reply, she was a little bit relieved. Kevin hadn't spoken to her in past few days, scared of revealing the surprise. To her, it was like a long siblings' quarrel that went on for a week.

Kevin led her outside into the barn where she saw the horse he bought. Angela frowned. "What's this horse doing here?"

"She's part of our family now," Kevin replied. Molly nodded.

Angela continued to frown. "And how much did she cost?"

"It's a secret. Don't worry, Angela!" Kevin tried to assure. "I paid it with my part-time money.

"I am sure you could have used your part-time money for something more recreational. This horse doesn't produce milk like a cow, goat or sheep does. It only eats grass and goes number one, two, or maybe three if she ate some weird grass!"

The horse snorted angrily, as if understanding that Angela was offending her. "Angela, it's my present to you! We all know it takes you more than two hours to commute from home to the Brass Bar. You can spend the time to be something more meaningful," Kevin said. "It's a birthday present, Angela! You deserve it."

"…You just wasted 50000G on me," she murmured.

"She was only worth 4000G!" Kevin replied. Angela smirked. "Oops, I just revealed it," Kevin whispered.

Angela smiled for the first time in so long. "Well, thank you anyways."

Kasey stared at Angela's smile incredulously. "If it makes you so happy to receive a horse as a birthday gift, I'll get you a goat then!"

Her smile faded and glared at him. "Do what you want." She spun her heel and proceeded to escape from the stench of animals in the barn.

"Angela! Do you like my gift! I made you a pretty bracelet!" Molly called, running after her.

"What about a name for our new addition to the family?" Kevin asked.

"Little Igloo," Angela said on the top of her head. Little Igloo whined angrily.

"There, there, Little Igloo," Kevin cooed. She calmed down and began to snuggle up against Kevin's shoulder. "You should learn to like Angela a little more. She's a nice girl." As if responding to sarcasm, Little Igloo snorted.

"Stupid horse."

Kevin patted Little Igloo's soft head and groomed her mane with his fingers. Her arrival here helped resolve the awkward silence he and Angela had against each other. "Thank you Little Ig."

She whined contently, happy with any name Kevin gives her. "Hey little Ig!" Kasey called. "Want some potatoes?"

She snorted, chomped the potato (including his hand) and "accidentally" stepped on his foot. "Hey! That hurt. Even if you are a female horse, I will still smack your buttocks because I am older and wiser-"

And she showed him her beautiful hind hooves.

* * *

><p><strong>An abrupt ending, but I hope it's not cliff-hanger-ish to any of you. I hate cliff hangers and I try to not have them at the end of chapters xD<strong>


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